Alarm-valve.



H. P. TANK.

ALARM VALVE. APPLICATION FILED FEBJS, 1 911.

. 1,01 9,209. Patented Mar. 5,1912.-

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WLHEEEE INVEI-Wfir" outrun sirarps rn'rnivr OFFICE.

HENRY P. TANK, F ALAIvIEDAQ CAIiIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-TENTHS TO LOUIS B.

I KRI EGER AND FOUR-TENTHS TQB'URT I). DAVIS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ALARM-VALVE.

Specification of Letters lfatent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912'.

Application filed February 6, 1911. Serial No. 606,819

To all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, HE RY P. TANK, a.

Alameda, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented Certain anew and useful Improvements in Alarm Valves, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to alarm-valves used in any system of piping, where an alarm or signal is desired, as, for example, in automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus in which the how of the water induced by the opening of the sprinklers under a sulficient rise in temperature, is caused to give an alarm. In practice this is effected by diverting or lay-passing a portion of the water from the main flow in the riser pipe to a suitable sounding device which said diverted water is adapted to operate. This diversion of the portion of the water so bypassed is under the automatic control of a device termed an alarm valve which. usually consists of a suitable shell'let into the main riser, the shell having a through or main passage for the flow of the water to the sprinklers and having also a by-pass to the sounding device or alarm, both main passage and by-pass be ing normally closed by a clapper, under the pressure in the pipe system, but simultaneously opened by the flow of water under relief of pressure.

-My invention has for its object the provi-' sion of an alarm valve of this class or type, which is simple in construction, sensitive and effective in its automatic action, and not liable to get out of order; and to this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and-combination of parts which I shall now full ence to the accompanying drawing in which the figure is a vertical section of my alarm valve, the dotted lines showing its operation.

1 is the main riser pipe and 2 its continuation to the sprinklers. Between these is secured the alarm-valve, which comprises a shell 3, formed with an opening 4: in its base i V r i tor a dram pipe connection if the devlce is set vertically, and, an opening 5 in its side for a drain pipe connection ii the device is set horizontally The shell is also provided 5 In the main passage, designated by 8,

describe by referthrough the shell, by which the water flows to the sprinklers is fitted a seat 9 for a clapper 10 which normally rests upon the'seat and closes the passage. The clapper is provided with a rubber facing 11 to rest on seat 9, said facing being held by a washer 12 and nut 13. The clapper is hinged at 14 andbeyond its hinge it is formed or provided with an arm 15-.

In 'oneside of the shell is the alarm passage or b'y-pass 16. This leads externally to any suitable alarm device, either electrical or mechanical, such as are commonly used and which may be operated by the flow of water through the by-pass. The by-pass 16 is extended. within the shell by a nipplel'l, the upper end of which forms a seat for a small clapper 18. This clapper is carried by a handle 19, which is hinged at 20, and beyond the hinge is provided or formed with an arm 21 lyingtjust under and in contact with the'arm 15 of the main clapper.

22 is a Weight carried by the arm 21, and serving to counterbalanceth'e by-pass clapper 18. I

The operation is as follows :'Under the normal pressure in the pipe system (the openings 4 and 5 being understood to be closed by their connections) the two clappers 10 and 18 he in the positions shownin full lines, and thus the by-pass 16 is closed But when the pressure is relieved, as by the opening of the sprinklers, the water flowing past the clapperv 10 will raise it, and this movement of said clapper, through its arm 15 hearing down on the" arm 21 of the bypass clapper will lift said clapper 18 andopen the by-pass, as is shown by the dotted lines, A portion of the water is thus di verted to sound the alarn'n Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettel-s Patent is 1. An alarm valve of the character'described, comprising a shell formed with a main passage and with a by-pass, a hinged clapper normally closing the by-pass, said cle pper having an arm extending beyond its hinge, and a setgond hinged clapper normally cl osing'the mam passage and adapted to be opened by thedluid'flow therein, said second clapper'having an arm extending beyond its hinge which'arm is' unconnected with the" arm'of the bypass clapper'and is constructed and, arranged relatively to said last named arm whereby the latter byvcontact pressure therewith Will open the by-pass clapper simultaneously With the opening of the main passage clapper.

2. An alarm valve of the described class comprising a shell formed with a main-passage and with'a by-pass; a hinged clapper normally closing the by-pass, said clapper having an arm extending beyond its hinge;

and a second hinged clapper normally clos v ing the main-passage and adapted to 'be'lifted by the fluid flow to ,open said main-passage, said second clapper having an arm extending beyond its hinge which arm is independent'of and overlies the arm of the bypass clapper, and is adapted by contact pressure With said last named arm, .as the mainp'assage clapper rises, to lift the by-pass clapper and open the bypass, the parts being constructed and arranged to permit the bypass clapper to be opened independently of the main passage clapper.

3. In an alarm valve of the character described, the combination of a casing having a main supply conduit, and a by-pass conduit, a valve member pivotally supported intermediate its ends upon the casing and having at one end a disk shaped valve to overlie the main conduit outlet and at its. op-

posite end an integral rigid projecting arm or tail piece, and an auxiliary valve member 'pivotally supported intermediate its ends on auxiliary valve member may open independently of the other and whereby uponthe opening of the main supply valve the aux-i'liary valve for the by-pass is-simultaneously opened thereby. I ii In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY P. TANK.

' Witnesses:

7M. F. BOOTH, D. B. RICHARDS. 

